We all go through times when we feel sad, listless and unmotivated. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. Sometimes we know the cause and can come up with a clear, definable reason. Sometimes we can’t. But depression goes further and deeper than this. You don’t just have problems, you feel like you are the problem. You feel stuck and your lack of energy makes accomplishing the smallest thing seem like walking through molasses.

Depression has been called the common cold of mental health, but this description doesn’t communicate how painful and scary it can be. Each person experiences depression differently. Some experience it as a low-grade feeling of unhappiness that makes living feel like a grind. Others experience more severe feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, anxiety, irritability and sadness which can even lead to thoughts of suicide.